


Endings and Beginnings

by stelladora



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Kravitz/Taako - established relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 17:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8587459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelladora/pseuds/stelladora
Summary: Magnus gets a little jealous seeing Taako in a relationship. It brings up some memories.





	

            Kravitz was here. Again. Which was fine. It really was—Magnus would swear up and down that everything was totally fine, totally normal.

It had been a few weeks since Taako’s first date with Kravitz—Magnus and Merle had managed to wheedle that much detail out of Taako, at least—and Kravitz had been coming around to their suite at the moon base more and more frequently, when he wasn’t hunting a bounty. Which was fine.

—Except it meant that Taako had been getting more and more comfortable with having the four of them all together. Over the past few days, Taako had found a new passion: embarrassing Kravitz in front of the others by little touches or raunchy innuendoes. And most of the time, yeah, it was funny. Kravitz would squirm or sigh, avoiding eye contact with all of them. Seeing a being so powerful, especially someone who had worked so hard to hunt them down just a few short months ago, writhe with embarrassment was insanely gratifying. But at the same time, Magnus found himself frowning more often when Kravitz came around. There were a few times when Taako put his hand on Kravitz’s waist, or even smiled at him too long, and Magnus had to catch himself before anyone caught him scowling.

They were all lounging around in the living room / kitchen area of their suite when Kravitz’s stone of far-speech began to buzz with faint talking. He sighed and stood up from the sofa, the scythe materializing in his hand. “I have to go. I apologize,” he said to all three of them.

“Don’t sweat it,” said Taako, standing up as well as Kravitz used the scythe to tear open a portal (they’d all gotten used to the horrific sound it made). “See you later, sex muffin,” Taako added, swatting Kravitz on the ass as he stepped through the portal. The tear closed instantly after him, cutting off whatever indignant reply Taako had earned.

“I’m gonna turn in,” Merle said, heaving himself up and waddling off to his own room. “See you boys in the morning.”

“See ya!”

“’Night.”

Taako and Magnus were quiet for a few moments. Magnus had picked up his whittling; he was making a little whistle shaped like a bear. He wasn’t sure yet what he was going to do with it; maybe he’d get one of the others to put a spell on it so that it only made fart sounds and then give it to Angus. Other than that, it was just something to pass the time. Taako, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically quiet. Magnus resisted the urge to look up, knowing full well that Taako was staring at him.

“So, what’s up with you?” Taako finally asked.

Magnus shrugged, finally glancing up. “Nothin’ much. I trained with Noelle again today, and—”

“I’m not talking about the training! Geez, you actually think I care about shit like that? I’m talking about Kravitz,” Taako said.

Magnus now gave him his full attention, furrowing his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, my man, you know what I mean! Whenever he’s here you get this _look_ on your face. He said sorry for all that shit in Lucas’ lab, and we’re good now! He sorted it all out for us, we can die as much as we want!”

“I still don’t—”

“You don’t have to be mad at him anymore, is what I’m saying! Not that I care, though,” Taako added quickly. “I mean, you’re free to hate whoever you want, my dude, you’re your own person, I just think there are better targets. I mean, Avi for instance—”

“I don’t hate Kravitz,” Magnus interrupted him incredulously.

“Really? Coulda fooled me. Every time he’s here, you look like a dog that just got kicked or something.”

“No dogs on the moon,” Magnus quickly reminded him. Taako just rolled his eyes, still demanding an answer. “Look, I don’t know what you mean. I’m over all that stuff that happened in Lucas’ lab. If you want to bring him around all the time, that’s your prerogative,” he said with a simple shrug, ready to go back to his whittling.

“Okay, you’re just sounding mighty passive-aggressive is all,” Taako said passive-aggressively.

Magnus rolled his eyes. “I don’t have a problem with the guy! The two of you make a good couple, so who am I to stop you from seeing him?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, back up there, bucko, you’re blowing this all outta wack,” Taako immediately deflected.

“Sure. Okay. _Whatever_ is happening there with the two of you, it’s fine by me,” Magnus insisted. “I’m gonna go to bed too.”

Taako seemed placated by that response. “Alright then. Sweet dreams,” he called after Magnus.

 

* * *

Magnus came back from the dojo feeling good—worn out, muscles aching, but good. Noelle’s training was coming along really well, and he nearly managed to get the best of Carey today. He threw the door open and immediately sensed a tension in the communal area of their suite; Taako and Kravitz were there, staring at the door silently as if they stopped talking the second he came in.

All three of them stood around silently for a second.

“Hail and well met!” Magnus began, breaking the tension.

“Hello.”

“Wassup, my dude?” Taako sat at the kitchen table with his feet on the chair next to him. Kravitz was across from him, black cloak gone, ridiculously handsome face exposed. Magnus stared at Kravitz for what’s probably a second too long before coming back to earth and shrugging his shoulders.

“Nothin’ much. I saw Merle on my way back, he was trying to convince Avi to give him some of that brandy.”

“Oh snap. He better share, that was some good shit,” Taako said. “Do you think—”

“You have something you want to ask me.” Kravitz had been watching Magnus all that time, yet his words came abruptly. Taako went silent; Magnus blinked, processing what had been said to him. “Please, feel free.”

Magnus, always proud of his sideburns, was especially grateful for them now. They hid the blush that spread over his cheeks as he fished for something to say. “Me? Mmm, nope. Can’t think of anything,” he said with forced nonchalance. “I’m all sweaty, so I’m actually going to take a shower,” he added, making a beeline for his room. Before either of the other two could reply, Magnus had shut his own door behind him.

What the hell? Was Kravitz psychic or something? Magnus wouldn’t have been surprised. But the unspoken conversation between them could wait. Maybe wait forever.

Magnus showered and changed his clothes, driving the awkward encounter from his mind. He debated about staying in his own room afterwards, but immediately berated himself for the thought. He lived here too, he could sit in the damn living room if he wanted. Besides, he’d left his whittling knife and the bear-whistle-to-be in there. He went out, noticing how quiet it was now. He glanced around—sure enough, Taako was gone. However, Kravitz remained, seated on the sofa.

“Where’d Taako go?” Magnus asked.

“He made a run to the Fantasy Costco. He said he’d be right back,” Kravitz replied calmly.

“Not if he gets caught up haggling with Garfield,” Magnus muttered. He’d never been alone with Kravitz, and he could feel his eyes watching his every move.

“You don’t like me being here, do you Magnus?”

Great. This again. “I’m fine with it! I really don’t care. We settled our debts and everything, everything’s fine. If you want to hang out here, that’s fine,” he said, crossing to the table where his whittling project lay. He didn’t sit, though, hoping that if he didn’t make himself too comfortable, the conversation wouldn’t last so long.

“You’ve lost your typical confidence,” Kravitz observed. “You’re never at ease around me. Does my relationship with Taako bother you?”

“Relationship? So are you guys, like, official then?” Magnus asked, taking advantage of Taako’s absence to ask a question the elf would never have allowed.

“Well, of course there are some barriers to us having a more conventional relationship—my busy schedule, the vast difference in our lifespans, certain philosophical viewpoints—but…I care about Taako beyond the levels of a mere bounty,” Kravitz explained.

“You old softie,” Magnus teased. “Good for you two, then, I guess,” he added, not knowing the proper response.

Kravitz’s mouth set in a hard line as he searched for the words he wanted. “Magnus…I find myself in a difficult situation here, and I hope you don’t think I’m being indelicate—I’m…honored, really,” he began.

“What are you talking about?” Magnus asked, genuinely confused.

Kravitz fixed his dark eyes on him; the direct gaze was almost overpowering somehow. “Magnus, are you jealous of me?”

Magnus’ eyebrows raised in surprise. “Me? Well, I mean, I guess so. Bounty hunter for the astral plane? That’s some cool shit. And the scythe? I mean, it’s no Rail Splitter, that’s for sure, but it’s—”

“I mean because of my closeness with Taako.”

The words nearly made Magnus stagger backwards as if he’d been slapped. It took a second to form a coherent thought to make into words. “Me? I don’t like Taako. I mean, I don’t mean it like that, of course I _like_ him, he’s a good guy and a good adventuring companion or whatever, but…not like that.”

“Ah,” Kravitz nodded and paused a moment. “Are you…jealous of Taako? If it would help, I can—” and here, Kravitz’s ridiculously handsome face began to change. The handsome face faded away, the skin and muscle peeling back in a disgusting time-lapse decay, leaving only the skull. “Perhaps now that I appear less alluring to you—”

“Dude, no,” Magnus replied incredulously.

“I’m just asking,” Kravitz said, adding under his breath, “No need to be rude.”

“Look, the two of you are a good couple or whatever, I’m not trying to get in on that or anything,” Magnus explained.

“Then what is it? I don’t want any problems between us, Magnus.”

Magnus considered asking the question that had been tickling the fringes of his mind for so long. A lump rose in his throat, and before he could dispel it, the door banged open.

“God, who’d have thought it’d be so hard to get some fuckin’ M&Ms!” Taako said, exasperated. He glanced around the room, taking in the scene as he made his way to the kitchen-half of the room. “Love the look, darling,” he said to skeleton-Kravitz as he passed.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kravitz replied. He turned back to Magnus. “Well? What were you going to say?”

“Nothing. Forget it,” Magnus said. He picked up his knife and the wooden block, hoping that now he’d be able to leave the conversation.

“Oh, don’t let me interrupt,” Taako said.

The real interruption came from Kravitz’s stone of far-speech. He sighed before standing up, preparing to leave. “Duty calls, I’m afraid. I’ll try to get this done with quickly.” The scythe appeared in his hand again.

“Catch ya later, puddin’ pop,” Taako called out from the kitchen.

“Bye,” Magnus said out of politeness.

Soon Kravitz was gone. Magnus sat down in an armchair, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“So? Did you ask him that thing?” Taako asked.

“What? No. I mean, I don’t have anything to ask him,” Magnus replied hastily. “What’s up with the two of you thinking I’ve got a problem with him? He asked me if I was jealous,” Magnus reported with a laugh.

“Well, I wouldn’t blame you. I’m a choice piece of ass.”

“That’s not what I’m jealous of,” Magnus scoffed. He stopped. It was one of those things where you talk without thinking, and now he had to take a second to process the words that had just come out of his own mouth.

From across the room, Taako raised an eyebrow. “Now we’re getting somewhere,” he said through a mouthful of M&Ms. He crossed over to the couch and flopped down on it, causing some of the M&Ms to spill out of the bag and roll underneath it. Taako didn’t bother to pick them up. “Go on,” he said invitingly, legs dangling over the arm of the sofa, turning his head to the side to look at Magnus.

“I just mean…” Magnus couldn’t find the words. He and Taako had never really had a heart-to-heart before, and this was a serious piece of his soul Magnus was considering dumping out. “It’s just…been a while, you know?”

“Oh man, if you’re lookin’ to bone down, you could have your pick of anybody on the damn moon! People here worship you! Not sure why, I mean, it’s not like you find all those relics and shit by yourself…” Taako said, trailing off.

“That’s not—” Magnus sighed. He was always so bold, so ready to rush into any situation, and here he was, hesitating, overwhelmed with nerves. It felt terrible. He wanted to just get this off his chest, to let someone else think about it for a while, to not have to bring it up again with anybody or at least— “I’m a widower.”

That was enough to foist a shocked silence even on Taako. Magnus exhaled sharply. “I’ve never, uh…said that before. But. It’s true.”

“Damn, my man,” Taako said simply. There were half-chewed M&Ms in his mouth, and he swallowed before continuing. “Is that…Julia? That time in Lucas’ lab, when you asked Kravitz to tell Julia—”

“That I love her. Yeah.”

The silence stretched on between them, a nearly tangible feeling of awkwardness growing. Magnus knew that Taako didn’t want to talk about this—Taako didn’t really _do_ emotional stuff. On the other hand, Taako had enough sense to know that a joke wouldn’t really be appreciated here; even he was above making light of someone’s dead wife. But it was Taako who eventually broke the silence.

“You could always do what I do with shit like this,” he said. “Just don’t think about it. Denial and repression can do wonderful things for ya.”

The corners of Magnus’ mouth turned up in some semblance of a smile, but that emotion didn’t reach his eyes. “Would if I could, Taako. I think I’m going to turn in early.” Magnus stood, taking the knife and little block of wood with him.

“Suit yourself. You want some M&Ms?” Taako asked, holding the bag out to him while still lying on the couch.

“Thanks. If Merle comes back with some of that brandy, save me some.” Magnus took a handful of candies.

“No promises, my dude,” Taako said in a singsong as Magnus shut the door to his own room behind him.

Taako had been right, in a way. Magnus had done his screaming, crying, pleading with gods, swearing vengeance…but that much emotion was untenable. After a while, he’d had to stop. Thinking about Julia, Steven, about anyone in Ravensroost was too painful. Magnus had spent a long time pushing those thoughts from his mind, slowly learning to reconcile himself to the reality he’d caused.

But now Kravitz had shown up, someone who could go to the astral plane, who could talk to all the people he’d lost. Magnus had spent countless sleepless nights thinking about what he’d say to them if he had a chance. And he’d been given that chance—all that had happened in Refuge with June and the cup flashed through his memory.

He hadn’t been able to move when June was replaying his memories. He had tried. The second he had seen the workshop, he had tried to run to Steven, and then to Julia when she’d appeared. But all he could do was watch.

And when June had offered him the chance to take the cup, to fix everything he’d done, Magnus had considered it. He could have saved Ravensroost, he could still be living happily with Julia and her father. But he knew he couldn’t. The grand relics were dangerous, and Julia…Julia wouldn’t have wanted that. And so Magnus had to learn to reconcile himself to this regret, too.

He heard a voice in his head. A deep, slithering voice, one he had heard before, more and more frequently now. A voice that Magnus had never responded to, had blocked out as hard as he could. It was the voice of the Red Robe.

“I can help you. You can make things better for everyone. No one else needs to be lost.”

In a quiet voice, Magnus finally asked, “…How?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for this fandom, so sorry if some of the voices aren't spot-on. Comments are appreciated!
> 
> And why does Kravitz remind me of Mr. Darcy?


End file.
